A container for carrying a liquid product can include a fitment that renders the container non-refillable so as to impede or prevent efforts to refill the container with inferior products. U.S. Pat. No. 3,399,811 illustrates a container of this type.
A general object of the present disclosure, in accordance with one aspect of the disclosure, is to provide a container including a tamper-evidencing component that is non-removably secured to the container and that evidences efforts to tamper with the package via breakage and/or discoloration of the container.
The present disclosure embodies a number of aspects that can be implemented separately from or in combination with each other.
A product in accordance with one aspect of the disclosure includes a glass container including a neck, and an anti-refill fitment carried in the neck to deter refill of the container and at least partially composed of plastic. The product also includes a metal ring carried in at least one of the neck of the container or the fitment and in direct contact with a corresponding portion of the container neck, such that heating of the product pursuant to tampering results in at least one of discoloration of the container neck or fracture of the container neck.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a product that includes a container including a neck, and a tamper-evidencing component separate from the container and carried by the neck of the container in direct contact with a corresponding portion of the container neck and composed of material that has higher thermal conductivity than that of a material of the container so as to concentrate heat in the corresponding portion of the container neck. The container neck is thermally responsive to application of heat pursuant to efforts to tamper with the product by at least one of the following responses: an irreversible change in visual appearance of the corresponding portion of the container neck, or fracture of the container neck at the corresponding portion of the container neck.
In accordance with a further aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a method of producing a product that includes (a) flowing liquid into a container having a neck, (b) non-removably coupling an anti-refill fitment into the neck of the container to render the product non-refillable, and (c) coupling a tamper-evidencing component to at least one of the fitment or the container neck so that the component is in direct contact with a corresponding portion of the container, such that heating of the product pursuant to tampering concentrates heat in the component and in the corresponding portion of the container to result in at least one of discoloration of the container neck or fracture of the container neck.
In accordance with an additional aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a method of producing a product that includes (a) forming a glass container including a neck having an outer surface and an annular groove in the outer surface, and (b) embedding a metal ring in the annular groove of the container neck.